Project Upland Magazine

12/15/2025

Phone switchboards, emails, and even written letters are being sent right now to combat the proposed sale of more than 3 million acres of public land in the Senate reconciliation package. All of these are important forms of communication—but there is a more public and, in some cases, more effective tool at our fingertips: social media. The more effective use of these channels was inspired by a conversation with Land Tawney of the American Hunters & Anglers Action Network, someone well-versed in public land advocacy.

We’re not talking about the excellent sharing and outcry we’ve already seen online—though that has been wonderful. We’re talking about a more strategic approach that forces elected officials to acknowledge and address the issue directly.

Many elected officials—including senators in this case—have official social media accounts on platforms like Instagram, X (formerly Twitter), Threads, Bluesky, and Facebook. When an account is used in any official capacity—whether to promote political agendas or inform the public about government matters—it becomes a public forum.

Key strategies for using social media to advocate for public lands and conservation through First Amendment rights on official accounts.

12/14/2025

English Springer Spaniels are a medium-sized breed. Female dogs bred for the show ring are ideally around 19 inches at the shoulders. Males are a touch taller at 20 inches. They range between 40 and 50 pounds, respectively. As with any dog, however, form and function exist in tension. It is possible to find field bred dogs that are of slighter stature than their bench bred counterparts.

Read about the English Springer Spaniel and other bird hunting dogs from the Project Upland hunting dog profile series.

12/12/2025

New shirt design!

The Bobwhite Quail is one of the most iconic North American game birds. From its distinct call and prized coveys to its picturesque habitats across a wide range of landscapes, it is a symbol of the American upland hunter. This t-shirt design is a celebration of this native species.

This Bobwhite Quail t-shirt design, featuring a male bird making its distinct call, is a celebration of one of the most iconic North American game birds.

12/12/2025

Shooting birds on the wing has been around for several hundred years. The sport became widespread in England in the 1800s and grew in popularity among England’s aristocracy as gun technology advanced. Whether the popularity of wingshooting drove the development of the shotgun or the development of the gun drove the growth of the sport is a subject for another time. Suffice it to say, the various designs, inventions, and patents by the British gun-making trade that came out of the period between 1850 and 1930 created both the side-by-side and the over-and-under shotguns we know today.

By the early 1800s, there was a well-established gun trade in England that produced exquisitely made guns. This was the flintlock era, and the most famous of these English makers was Joseph Manton. Mr. Manton’s shop produced guns made by a team of craftsmen, each gunmaker a master of their craft who specialized in making a single component of the gun.

Discover breechloading shotgun history and the English innovations and patents that defined modern side-by-side and over-under gun designs.

12/11/2025

Born of sagebrush, spring rain, winds, and rocks, chukar partridge (Alectoris chukar) are tough birds and considered one of the most difficult upland birds to hunt. Chukar hunting takes us to the wilds of nature every fall and winter. Chukar habitat in the western United States tests the grit of the hunter and toughness of the dog. Not only that, but chukar are hard to find, wary, and difficult to approach, which makes them even harder to hit.

Chukar are native to the massive mountainous and arid regions of central-eastern Afghanistan, northern Pakistan, northwest India, and the foothills of the Himalayas into Nepal. They were brought as a game bird to North America in 1893 when five pairs were introduced in Illinois, but they didn’t survive. Between the 1930s and the 1960s, additional introductions in the western U.S., more similar to their native lands, helped establish wild populations where they have managed to thrive in some of the most rugged and inhospitable places in the American West.

The vast majority of chukar in the western states are found on Bureau of Land Management, National Forest, and some state-owned public lands. Currently, there are plenty of places where these birds reside. The most established populations are in Nevada, Idaho, Oregon, Utah, and Washington. Other western states like California, Colorado, Montana, and Wyoming have also introduced these birds to create hunting opportunities.

Learn how to find chukar by locating food, water, and cover, avoiding bad habitat and heavy hunting pressure, and tracking seasonal movements.

12/09/2025

I have a love-hate relationship with ring-necked pheasants. When one of my dogs trails a rooster for 50 yards, then locks up rock solid, pinning the bird within a few feet of his nose, it’s glorious. As the colorful bird erupts from the grass and emits a cackle as a string of 6 shot ends his flight, it’s pure bliss. That type of encounter is the love part of our relationship. And for anyone hunting pressured pheasants, especially on public land, these moments are rare.

However, the hate part is much more common. One of my dogs begins trailing and I hustle to keep up. After one hundred yards, we lose the trail. As I gasp for air, watching the dog try to recover the scent path, a rooster erupts 87 yards to my right and cackles for what sounds like an eternity, making sure I know he outplayed us. It’s these types of encounters with educated birds that make the successful moments that much more satisfying.

If you’re hunting pressured pheasants at any point in the season, here are a few things you can try to increase your odds of success.

When hunting pressured pheasants, lower your expectations and try hunting alone, targeting overlooked habitat, and waiting for fresh snow.

12/05/2025

Need an easy gift for the dog lovers in your life this holiday season? We’ve got you covered with options for every budget and free shipping on all orders over $75!

Shop premium hunting dog breed gear—stickers, shirts, and hats featuring your favorite bird dogs. Handcrafted in the USA by Project Upland.

12/05/2025

🎥 New Film!

Kyle Hedges and Frank Loncarich have a lifetime of dedication to bobwhite quail research and management. That commitment was built on a foundation of hunting and a deep relationship with the land and the species. Going back to a critical scientific study on native prairie habitat versus managed smaller-parcel habitat, they helped establish an essential link that has changed how we view the long-term challenges of bobwhite management across the American landscape. Their work highlights the nuanced balancing act between working lands, private ownership, and a public wildlife resource—an intersection these biologists have helped illuminate.

Special thanks to onX Hunt and Weatherby Inc. for making this film possible.

Kyle Hedges and Frank Loncarich have a lifetime of dedication to bobwhite quail research and management. That commitment was built on a foundation of hunting...

12/04/2025

In most states, squirrel season runs for months. In fact, the season is typically open for more days a year than it is closed, offering ample opportunity to get out and spend some time chasing bushytails. However, as the squirrel season progresses, preferred food sources shift. As a result, your squirrel hunting tactics must change, too.

When talking about squirrel hunting, the late season refers to the dead of winter. At this point in the season, most of the leaves have fallen, meaning a lot less cover in the timber for squirrels to hide. Food resources are reaching a low point. Hickory nuts and pecans likely disappeared by early fall. Acorns have been consumed by competitors like deer, turkeys, and many other species of wildlife. The squirrel population itself is near its lowest point of the year as well. Predation by raptors, mammals and even hunters has reduced their numbers. The squirrels that remain are veterans at survival and are much more wary than they were just months prior.

If you’re heading out to hunt these educated squirrels during the late season, here is some helpful information about food, hunting, and weather to keep in mind.

Learn about available food resources, effective hunting strategies, and how winter weather impacts squirrel activity during the late season.

12/01/2025

Today is the last day to support the Prairie Chicken Project Wisconsin through our Black Friday deal. As a small business, we chose to forgo profit-driven hype in favor of supporting the birds — not because it benefits our bottom line, but because it’s simply the right thing to do.

11/28/2025

As hunters, we like to engage in passionate debate about “the best”: the best gun, the best dog breed, the best gear . . . even the best upland birds. Ask a group of hunters about the King of Upland Birds and you’re liable to start a brawl. Ruffed grouse! Pheasant! Himalayan snowcock!

One thing’s for certain, though – nobody has ever accused the California quail of being the king of anything. That’s fine by me! Despite being frequently overlooked and under-appreciated, California (or valley) quail are a fun bird to hunt with relatively high success rates – and they are delicious. They live at reasonable elevations in accessible terrain and in large populations. What’s not to like about that?

To target California quail, you just need to know where to look. The gear requirements are minimal, making them a great choice for beginning hunters. These small birds are quick but fragile, so it doesn’t take much to knock them down.

Learn how to hunt California quail from choosing shot size and chokes, all the way to where to find valley quail.

11/27/2025

When Owen and Gertrude Denny first released the ring-necked pheasant into the Willamette Valley of Washington in 1881, they likely had no idea this simple release and others in Oregon in subsequent years would create a revolution in upland bird hunting in North America. Owen Denny was a United States special consul stationed in China in the late 1800s. Chinese farmers caught pheasants in nearby fields and sold them in local markets. Denny considered them delicious. He noted they were “very gamey and will furnish fine sport,” so he resolved to bring birds back to his native Washington to see if they could flourish in a strange new land.

Flourish, they did! The U.S Department of Agriculture noted that ringnecks were “common” locally in Washington and Oregon in 1889. By 1892, a mere eleven years after the first release, a pheasant hunting season opened in Oregon. A reported 50,000 birds were harvested on opening day. I find that number to be somewhat unbelievable. However, even if just ten percent of that many birds were actually harvested, then the releases were a resounding success.

Given this success, pheasants were released in states all over the country. These birds now stand as our most popular upland game species. So how did this immigrant from a distant land achieve such mythical status among American hunters?

Learn how the ring-necked pheasant became North America’s most iconic upland bird through its history, adaptability, flavor, and charisma.